I intended to make some honey roasted almonds for Christmas, but I never got around to it. It turns out that my procrastination paid off a bit. About a week ago, I was at the grocery store, and I saw that they had giant tubs of almonds on sale, leftover from the bulk displays at the holidays. So, I picked up a tub, planning to make my honey roasted almonds after all, even if it was a few weeks late.
Last night, as I was getting out all of the ingredients to make some of the honey roasted almonds, I spotted some cocoa powder hanging out in my pantry. At that moment, inspiration struck, and I decided that I would make some cocoa roasted almonds with a bit of Mexican flair – adding cinnamon and some cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t make the almonds too spicy, they just have a hint of heat (you can add more or less, depending on how spicy you like your food).
If you’re participating in the #10in10 challenge, I recommend giving these almonds a try! They are a great chocolatey snack that’s pretty good for you, too. You might want to divide them up into small portions, though, to keep from eating too many at a time. Trust me!
Spicy Cocoa Roasted Almonds
- 3 cups whole almonds
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- Few drops of water
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on your taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the egg white, vanilla bean paste, and a few drops of water in a mixing bowl. Beat mixture until it is light and frothy. Add the almonds and toss to evenly coat with the egg white mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the sugars, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Whisk together to remove any lumps. Add the almonds, and toss to coat. Spread the coated almonds out on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Keep a close watch on the almonds because they will burn quickly.
Once the almonds are done, spread them out on a large piece of parchment or waxed paper until they have cooled completely (it’s OK to snack on a few while they cool… That’s what I did!). Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
I made cinnamon roasted for the holidays and LOVED them. I bet your cocoa ones are superb! Thanks for sharing, great photos too!
There’s something magical that’s happened lately where I’ve gotten back into baking/sweet treats after that holiday glut so many of us are in. So these look like a great way to ease back in to pseudo-dessert land. Oh, and I’m a HUGE fan of vanilla paste. Just recently discovered it, and can’t believe I’ve gone this long with out. Thanks, Jen. Lovely photos — and impressive commitment to 10 in 10!
Lovely! I just made some with honey last wkend.
These look great, seems like the perfect snack food for those cold nights when you are playing cards with friends. I bet the warm ones are just to die for.
As much as I love honey roasted, I’d definitely give these a go. Spicy and cocoa = two thumbs way up!!!
OOOOOOO my…these look so good. What a beautiful pairing of ingredients.
Yummy!
XXOO
These are so different from what I have made in the past. They look delicious, I will certainly give them a try!!!
I make cocoa candied nuts around the holidays and really need to put them into the year-round rotation. You’re right they’re a fun, healthier snack and are also a nice addition to cheese plates.
Oh yum!
This is such a yummy snack!!
These look divine. I’d definitely have trouble with the portion control however…LOL
These look like a fun recipe to make for a little gift for Valentine’s Day. I’ve never that to add cocoa to a spiced-up nut recipe. Mmmm!
Looks like a wonderfully healthy way to satisfy a chocolate craving. I’ll definitely put these on my “must try” list.
These look like a fabulous crunchy chocolatey snack! As it happens, I’ve got a bunch of egg whites saved up from making ice cream, and a bag of almonds left over from the holidays… so this is totally going on the Make-It-Now list. :)
I have such a weakness for chocolate and these are perfect for satisfying those cravings. Looks like i need to pick up some almonds!
These look DELICIOUS!!! Can’t wait to try them! Sounds like the perfect AIRPLANE to NYC snack! ;)
OMG! I have to hide this recipe from my hubby, he would be addicted. Looks yumie.
Oh yum! I have a MASSIVE bag of almonds that I bought last month with intentions to make spicy (cayenne) roasted almonds…yeah, it never happened. Time to make some of these!
I’m all over those, I definitely need to try it. I love cayenne and chocolate and I bet almond is great with them too.
I would seriously eat 10 pounds of these. At once.
Those look fantastic! I’ve been buying the Emerald Cocoa Roast almonds, but after seeing your post I may have to make them myself!
These look delicious! They remind me of my praline pecans I make around Thanksgiving. I totally agree about the addition of cocoa, it’s adds tons of flavor. I also love the addition of vanilla paste…yum!
Boy do these sound good! I might make some for the Super Bowl!
These look great Jen. I espeically love the Mexican Flair you added.
YUM! These looks great. I love roasted almonds. I just forwarded this recipe to my Mom, as well! Thanks!
These almonds sound great….I have been meaning to flavor and roast almonds for some time. Thanks for the inspiration. Wish I could reach through and grab some!
What a great recipe! I’m sharing with my readers on Monday, on Glamour.com. (I’m the health and fitness blogger for the Glamour blog Vitamin G). I’ll link back to your site and use the photo with your watermark on it, with attribution. Hope that’s OK! Thanks for posting such a yummy snack recipe! I can’t wait to try it! xo, Sarah
Oh my goodness. This is pure heaven. Love the combination of these. I might finish the whole batch eating this while watching the Vancouver Olympics.
yu-u-um! just made these and they are sooo gooood! luckily, i only had a cup of almonds as i am about to eat the whole thing!
Hello Jen…just a quick note to let you know that your tasty nuts got featured on my post about Dried Figs bathing in Port wine ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Hello Jen, I made the cocoa roasted almonds last night. Made them exactly to the recipe. They came out great! I think I should have baked them a bit longer for a better crunch.
Thanks. Steve
I’m going to try substituting vanilla extract for the paste, since it is nowhere to be found in my small town. I hope it works!
Oh my….these are so easy and so delicious! Thank you so much!
I made these last weekend and they are tasty. I cut down the sugar to 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and used vanilla extract in the same amount in place of the paste. They worked out great.
I found this recipe last year, made them, devoured them, gave some as gifts and now I am back to make them again!! Love this scrumptious tasting recipe!
I made these today for my work holiday party. Since I’m not one for measuring much I adjusted and tasted the dry ingredients until I thought it was good. However, when I took them out of the oven they were spectacular!
I just made these and would definitely advise roasting for more like 45-60 minutes, especially if you are taking the almonds out to stir. I was a little dissatisfied with the spice factor, so I added an additional half teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the cooled almonds. This gave it an extra kick and finished it off nicely. Thanks for the recipe!